Improvement in cotton openers and cleaners



, s. D. KEENE; 'COTTON-OPENER AND CLEANER. v 1\I 173,646l Patentea Feb. 15,1876

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UNITED Smyrne.v

Parana @Finca S. DAVIS KEENE, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT-IN coTToN oPENERs AND CLEANERS.'

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 173,646, dated February 15, .1876 application filed July 31, 1875. A

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, S. DAVIS KEENE, of

Providence,` in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain Improvements in Cotton Openers and Gleancrs,of which the following is a .specification The object-I have in View is the better and Imore convenient cleaning of cotton from all plained.

- In the drawings making a part of this'specifloation, Figure 1 is a side elevation ot' my machine; Fig. 2, a longitudinal'vertieal section of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical cross-section of the same, Fig'. 4, an end view of the separator and attachments and Fig. 5, a similar view of the grill and its defiector-wing.

Like letters denote corresponding parts in each ligure.

Upon a suitable frame, A, and upon bearings mounted onl either end of the same, are placed the feeding-rolls a, Withdrawingrolls b, feeding-apron c, and withdrawing-apron d. In other suitable bearings, placed centrally upon the frame A, is journaled the beater-shaft B, carrying beater-arms C. Neither of these parts constitute any portion of the invention claimed in this application. A lag-board or girt, D, passes across the lower cent1-al part of the machine, and issupported upon suitable bearinwgms, e. A separator, E, rests, at its lower edge, upon the girt D, and is rendered adjustable by the following means: A hollow shaft, F, which passes through the machine from side to side a little below and one side of the girt D, has within it another shaft, Gr. The shaft F has arms j`,.with sleeves f1, which latter arepivotedto the under side of the separator, near its upper edge.4 Other arms,

f2, are secured upon the shaft G at right angles'to the arms j', having sleeves f3, which, in turn, are pivoted to a rigidV arm, g, which, vin turn, is firmly secured to the under side of the separator at a point near its lower edge. The arms]E2 have freedom ofmovementin the shaft Fr by means of slots made therein. It

follows, then, that the shaft F, being rotated,

the upper edge of the separatorwill have a rotary movement about said shaft,as shown by the arrows itin Fig.V 4, while the rotation of the shaft G insures the movement of the separator up and down, as shown by the ar-y rows i in Fig. 4. To make this movement effectual from the outside of the machine an indicator-arm H, is secured upon the end of the shaft G, and another similar arm, I, upon the shaft F. Each of these arms is quadrantshaped, and has a slot in its periphery.

Through the slot in the arm H a set-screw, j,

passes into the arm I, which serves to secure the arm I to the arm II at anypoint in the slot of the arm H, and a set-screw, j, passes through the slot in the arm I into the side of the machine, which serves to secure the arm H at any point in its oWn slot. A fair and foul weather scale, J, is secured to the side of the machine, opposite to the pointer of the indicatorvarm I, corresponding in length with the movement permitted to .it by its setscrew It follows, then, that, the set-screws j j' being loosened, the indicator-arm I has a rotary movement independent of that of the arm H; but, if the set-screw j is turned up, then the arm H is moved bythe movement of the arm I 5 also, the arm I being held by its set-screw, the arm H has an independent movement. The separator. E has, near its upper edge, a series of slots, k, shown particularly in Fig. 3, and'at. its upper edge a wingdeector, K, preferably pivoted to it.

Instead ofthe separator E there may be used a grill, L, as shown in Fig. 5, having a Wing-deector, M, and arranged and adjusted in the same manner with the separator E.

`The particular advantage of the grill may bel found inl its better adaptation to thecleaning of very dirty or sandy cotton, by reason of its numerous spaces admitting more freely the passage of objectionable material, and giving, also, a larger circulation of air-curi rents.

The feed end of the machine is nearly `closed by draft-regulators, being two plates,

preferably curved, as shown, the lower plate N being secured to the machine, and the upper plate O overlapping the other, being capable of .being raised or lowered by means of set-screws l operating in slots m in the said plate 0.

A cover, P, covering and protecting the beater and serving to exclude the air,co1n pletes the enumeration ot the parts of my machine, the operation of which willV be next described, it being understood that an exhaust is used in connection with this machine, in the way common with machines for like purposes.

The cotton, entering upon theapron c, passes between-'the feeding-rolls, by the increased speed of the last set of which it is drawn into a thin tilm, which extends under thev beaters .and upthrough the rolls b, from which it is delivered upon the apron d in a clean condi tion. The film ot' cotton is subject to the impact ot' the beaters from near the point after it leavesthe feeding-rolls until near the point where it enters the last set of rolls, and is all the time subject to currents of air created by the exhaust passing through it. Cotton, however, is much inclined to taire moisture yfrom the atmosphere, and requires a greater volume or force of air-currentsin damp weather than in bright, clear weather, and cottons also vary greatly in the amount ot dirt and other foreign lmatter contained in them, the dirtier and more impure cotton usually requiring a greater volume or current 'of airfor proper cleaning. Ac-

. cordingly the separator E or grill L is adapted to be raised or lowered, or more or less inclined, hy the mechanism before described7 by which the space for the entrance of air is enlarged or diminished, In the revolutions of the beater the dust, motcs, and other light foreign matter thrown over theY edge of the separator or grill would be withdrawn by the .class of' machines.

' e Nanne suction of the beater as it passes over the separator or grill back again upon the same through thev openings in the separator or grill, which has been a serious disadvantage in this To remedy this, l provide the separator or grill with a wing or deiector, the effect of which is to deflect or turn such foreign substances over the separator or grill and away from the suckingaction ofthe beater,

s0 that they fall by their own gravity. This l action may be beneficially assisted, in the different varieties of dirty cotton, by having the deiiector hinged so as to give it different de grecs of inclination. The action of the regulator governs the size ofthe air-opening to suit the necessities of the case, Without changing the speed of the beater or of the exhaust-fan.

Having thus described my machine, what I claim as new therein isl. In a machine for cleaning cotton,the com bination of a detlector-Wing with a separator, substantiallyas and for thepurposes set forth.

2. In combination with a separator or grill having a defiectorwing, the draft-regulator N O, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In combination with the separatoror grill, i

the shafts F and G, with their armsf, f1, ff, for the purpose of adjusting the separator or grill, substantially as described.

4.' In combination with a separator or grill and its operating arms and shafts, the indicator arms H and I, with their set-screws for the purpose ot' adjusting the said separator or grill, substantially as described.

S. DAVIS KEENE. Witnesses:

WILLIAM EDsoN, P. EVANS, AJ r. 

